Traditional Pizza on the Rise

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Oct 11, 2018125

BY: LACEY MUSZYNSKI

For a long time, Milwaukee-style pizza meant one thing: cracker crust, a lightly sweetened sauce, plenty of toppings and cut into squares. Though the moniker of “Milwaukee-style” often draws consternation from pizza purists who correctly argue that this style exists in other places, there’s no doubt that we gravitate to that favorite style and have for a long time. The Caradaro Club, the first pizzeria in the city, started the cracker crust trend, and other restaurants like Maria’s, Hup’s, Lisa’s and Balistreri’s have run with it for decades now.

It seems, though, that Milwaukeeans are craving some variety. Within the last decade, we’ve developed a taste for Neapolitan-style pies. Especially in the last few years, there’s been a flurry of pizza restaurants serving this traditional style that’s hallmarked by a chewy, airy, outer crust that’s nicely charred, thin but not crispy bottom crust and a light hand with toppings.